St Marys RC Primary school

Mission statement

As the family of St. Mary’s, learning and growing in God’s love, joyfully, we pray, play and respect all, changing our world forever.

Our Journey of Faith...

'That they may have life, and have it to the full...' John 10:10

At St Mary's RC Primary School, we are extremely proud of our Catholic faith and who we are as members of the Universal Church. Our faith is the foundation of everything we do in school, with Christ at the centre.

We believe in teaching the values of love and forgiveness and follow the example of Christ in our daily lives through our words and actions, and we fulfil his commandment to 'love one another, as I have loved you' (John 13:34).

Although living out the Gospel values plays a huge part in our school, a time for prayer, worship and reflection is included in our day. We come together in class for prayers and reflection daily, and come together as a school for assemblies and for the celebration of Holy Mass, where we meet with members of our parish family.

Although we have set times for RE in school, this does not mean we confine our Gospel values to this time; we live and breathe our faith in all that we do, say and think. We spend time being thankful, beng reflective, saying sorry and praying throughout the school day.

Below you wil also find examples of the work we have been doing in informing parents and the wider community about the way we teach and assess religion in our School.

We have just been inspected by the diocese and have received some fantastic comments about our school and faith commuity

RSE is Catholic schools

Catholic schools, like all other schools in England, are required to produce a written policy following the guidance issued by the Department for Education on Sex and Relationship Education (SRE). The DfE guidance can be found here. Catholic schools are also required to deliver RSE in accordance with the teaching of the Church. This approach is compatible with the guidance issued by the DfE.

Why is RSE in Catholic Schools important?

RSE is part of the mission of Catholic schools to educate the whole person. It should be carried out as part of the holistic education which seeks to form as well as inform young people in preparation for adult life.

What does outstanding RSE in Catholic school look like?

In order for Catholic RSE to be fully effective it needs to:

be faithful to the Church's vision of human wholeness whilst recognising the contemporary context in which we live today;

involve parents as they are primary educators of their child;

provide a positive view of human sexuality and dignity of the human person;

equip young people with the ability to make practical judgments about the right thing to do in particular circumstances;

explore and promote virtues which are essential to promoting respect and dignity;

be delivered in an age appropriate way which reflects the development of the child;

be part of the cross-curricular work in both primary and secondary schools;

be sensitive to the needs of the individual pupil and recognise the mix of pupils with different sexual orientations, genders and family backgrounds in each class;

be taken seriously by governors and teachers as an integrated part of the broad and balanced curriculum that Catholic schools offer;

be delivered by competent professionals who understand the Church's teaching.